Page 97 of Left in the Dark

CHAPTER 63

Zayne

I’m lurking outside Delaney’s cabin in the dark, still thinking about the gratitude in her eyes as she hugged me before we went into the hospital.

But it was the aftermath of seeing her mom when she broke and ran into my arms that it felt like the pieces of my broken heart started quivering, snapping back together. They’re still fragmented, but damn, her placing her trust in me and sobbing like that in my arms began healing pieces of me that I thought were permanently broken.

When she kissed my mask, her light shone into the darkest recesses of my soul.

Stryker and I followed her home, staying quite a distance behind her. Although he wanted me to drop him off and stand guard, I told him to leave and catch a nap, returning for me in a few hours.

I stare at her sleeping form on the camera, unable to resist her any longer. I pull the mask over my head, switching off her alarm as I stride toward the door.

Within seconds, I’m inside her house, locking the door behind me.

I hurry up the stairs, still watching her on my phone. She’s thrashing now, and I take off, sprinting up the stairs.

As I run into her bedroom, she arches from the bed. “Please don’t hit me.” Her voice sounds like a little girl’s, throwing me for a loop.

She thrashes some more, and I hurry to the bed, my hands moving to her. “Delaney. Wake up.”

“No. Don’t hurt her.”She bolts upright, her eyes flying wide.

“Delaney. It’s okay. You’re safe.” I pull her into my arms. I frown at how sweaty she is, her breathing raspy and shaky. Her arms go around my back, clinging to me. “Masked man? W-What are you doing here?”

“Making sure you’re safe.” I bury my face in her hair, inhaling her scent.

Her trembling finally subsides, and her breathing evens out. She pulls back, reaching for my face. I jerk back, and she pauses.

“I’m not trying to take your mask off. I just wanted to touch your face.”

I stare at her momentarily, seeing the truth in her eyes.

Nodding, I move closer, allowing her hand to touch my masked face.

“I-I’m glad you’re here. I hate those fucking nightmares. They happen more frequently since I’ve returned….”

“Who hit you, Delaney? Who was hurting you?”

Her eyes lower to my chest, shame coloring her cheeks in the sliver of moonlight shining through her window. “My father.”

I grab her hand, wrapping it in mine. “I won’t let him hurt you ever again.”

Her head lifts, and a small smile curls her lips. “Normally, if anyone said that to me, I’d scoff and laugh.” She bites her lip, and I growl, finding it sexier than hell.

She releases it, a small smile playing on her lips. “But I believe you.”

My heart squeezes inside my chest. I shouldn’t feel like this with her. I have a plan, and she’s fucking it up.

But I’m drowning in her eyes, and those old feelings crash over me like a tidal wave.

She shifts, throwing the covers off her and climbing onto my lap. “I promise I won’t try to pull the mask off. But I just… I need you.”

My hands squeeze her ass. “You’ve got me. All of me.” My eyes bore into hers. “I’ll give you everything you want and need.”

CHAPTER 64

Zayne

---